Kanye West Claims Self-Defense In His Assault Case

After being indicted on charges of assault stemming from an incident where he allegedly attacked a photographer at LAX, Kanye West is claiming that "his safety was in immediate danger," according to court papers obtained by TMZ.

According to Kanye's lawyer, Shawn Holley , the Yeezus rapper was justified in his alleged attempt to put his hands on the photographer because "[Kanye] responded to this assault by doing only those acts that were reasonably necessary for his self-defense ..."

The July 19 incident at Los Angeles International Airport was caught on film and photographed and widely disseminated to various media outlets. The Chicago-born rapper is facing both criminal and civil charges stemming from the incident and could possibly serve one-year in jail if convicted in the case.